🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 42
Feeling as if he had found a lead in the incident, Genos sharply addressed the servants.
“This doesn’t seem like something to discuss here. Everyone, return to the Grand Duke’s Castle and await instructions. And…”
Through the servants scurrying around, he fixed his gaze on the young ladies.
The look in his eyes was like that of a predator eyeing its prey.
Feeling a chill, the young ladies bent lower, avoiding his stare.
“…The matter is serious, so I ask for your cooperation. Will everyone accompany me to the Grand Duke’s Castle?”
Though he called it a request, it was essentially a one-sided order.
Lirian and the other two young ladies could do nothing but nod.
Once the scene was cleared, Genos hurried to find Rene.
Rene was receiving treatment from Jim, the Celeste family’s physician, as soon as they arrived at the Grand Duke’s Castle.
Bang!
He pushed the door open without hesitation. Around the bed, the maids were sniffling, their faces wet with tears.
“Oh, my lady! What’s happening to you…?”
“Your body was already so weak, and now this… really…”
“I’ll never forgive them. Just because she’s a noble young lady, how dare they do this to our little bunny lady—”
“Cough.”
Seeing the chaotic scene, Genos cleared his throat to announce his presence. Only then did the maids, startled, hurriedly straighten their clothes and bow deeply.
“That will do.”
Genos stopped Jim from rising to bow and asked,
“How is the Grand Duchess’s condition?”
His gaze remained fixed on Rene.
Fidgeting with his silver-rimmed glasses, Jim hesitated, looking troubled.
“Your Highness… I’m sorry. The truth is… the situation isn’t good. We are doing our best, but her fever is very high. No medicine seems to work effectively.”
Jim, the castle physician, was an exceptionally skilled doctor.
Even for ailments without a cure, his expertise in herbal medicine usually resolved minor illnesses easily.
Yet even he was struggling to lower her fever.
“Is there really nothing else we can do?”
“We’ve done everything possible. Now we can only wait and hope that Her Grace overcomes this herself…”
In other words, there was nothing more he could do.
The situation was becoming even more dire. If things continued, Rene’s life could be at risk.
“Save her. Whatever happens, save her.”
Genos spoke with a voice like a growling beast.
Jim understood the unspoken command—there was no other option.
“I-I’ll brew other herbs immediately!”
Jim hurriedly left the bedroom, adjusting his glasses.
“Everyone, leave.”
When the maids were sent out as well, the room was soon filled only with Rene’s labored breathing.
“….”
Genos stood, as if nailed in place, staring down at her.
Her face was unmistakably pale and drained of color.
Her usually bright red eyes barely appeared through the fatigue.
Her hair, soaked with sweat, clung to her fevered cheeks.
“…Foolish woman.”
Even as he said it, Genos gently lifted the strands of hair sticking to her cheek with his rough hands.
His touch was careful, yet her soft, fevered skin felt scorching.
At that moment, the woman’s furrowed brow tightened further.
“C-cold…”
“!”
A thin voice escaped through her shallow breaths.
She wasn’t fully conscious and seemed to be babbling due to the fever.
Her small hands flailed over the blanket.
Genos quickly covered her with the blanket, yet her frown didn’t ease.
“So cold… hic.”
Her lips were turning blue from the chill.
“Damn it.”
Uncharacteristically flustered, Genos lay down beside her. Hesitating slightly, he pulled Rene into his arms.
“Ugh…”
“Hold on a little longer. Better medicine will arrive soon.”
He patted her back clumsily, and her harsh breathing gradually calmed.
Some time passed.
“Mm…”
Genos glanced at Rene, whose expression had stabilized somewhat.
They were both drenched in sweat, but oddly, he didn’t feel uncomfortable.
On the contrary, he felt relieved—her pale complexion was returning to normal.
Then:
“…Genos…”
“!”
Rene murmured his name, crawling deeper into his embrace.
His heart raced uncontrollably—he hadn’t imagined she would call his name even in a half-asleep state.
Checking if she had woken, he saw that she was still lost in a drowsy, feverish haze.
“Genos… why are you crying…?”
“….”
“…I don’t want to die… hic…”
“Damn it. Why would you die?”
Her furrowed brow remained, as if stuck in a nightmare.
Thick tears ran down her cheeks.
Unable to do anything else, Genos gently stroked her shoulders.
Her breathing slowly evened out again.
Yet his heart continued to ripple with irregular waves.
“Sigh.”
Holding Rene carefully, Genos finally realized something painfully obvious.
Why had he not noticed until now?
“She’s so thin… and so small.”
Such a fragile person… yet cheerful and confident—he had never realized her vulnerability.
He wondered if he was the one who had pushed her to the limit.
Though there was pressure, he himself had decided to marry her.
At least he had the freedom to refuse.
But Rene had no choice.
In front of her family’s expectations and the palace’s power, she had never had an option.
For the first time, he understood her position.
From their very first meeting, everything replayed in his mind.
“Lady Rene Blanche, do you swear to accept Genos Celeste, Grand Duke, as your husband, and to fulfill your duties as Grand Duchess, living together with sincerity and respect for the rest of your life?”
“I swear…”
At the wedding, dressed in an old silk gown, she had stood with frightened eyes.
Despite trembling, she vowed her marriage.
She rode alone in the carriage, unwelcomed by her in-laws.
Her only refuge had been a small cabin.
“Ahaha!”
Genos remembered Rene smiling like a blooming flower among the maids.
Even in the cold North, she was a warm spring that softened many hardened hearts.
And yet he had spoken only harsh words to her.
“Don’t expect husbandly duties from me. I don’t expect anything from you either.”
“Don’t make excuses with petty wordplay. Have you been scurrying around the castle like a mouse, gathering information?”
“With such a weak heart, how could you think to be the Grand Duchess of Celeste?”
Words she couldn’t even defend herself against… once true, now false.
Was this fate?
“Yes… I am not fit to be Celeste’s Grand Duchess.”
“From the start, you were told to keep quiet by the Grand Duke himself. I followed everything… but why…?”
Even her tears, like falling glass beads, revealed her fragility.
Genos looked at her sleeping face quietly.
His heart sank.
‘Rene… what brought you here?’
He couldn’t even guess. He just closed his eyes.
The dim dawn quietly settled over the two of them.
